Rose Trevelyan is too nice for her own good, the first person others call if they want to talk. Not only can this get in the way of her working life as an artist, but when a local girl is attacked, Rose finds herself the recipient of confidences which put her in a difficult position. In addition, since she is seeing the investigating officer, Detective Inspector Jack Pearce, her friends expect her to know something about the case. As the attacks escalate, Jack becomes increasingly exasperated with Rose's involvement and is not always as grateful as he could be when she offers information she thinks may be helpful.
Janie Bolitho does a good job of establishing the characters and their places in the community. Although Rose is the central figure, other points of view are used to good effect. We become acquainted with Doreen, grieving for the death of friend Phyllis and worried about how Phyllis' 40 year old son Nathan will cope. Shop owner Barry wants Rose's advice to help him redecorate while her art student Joyce is concerned about her sullen teenage daughter. One can't help feeling sorry for Rose having all these calls on her time.
The novel was interesting and well plotted, although there were occasions when less domestic detail would have helped move things along. However, this didn't detract from the overall enjoyment.
Patricia Gallimore reads well, injecting feeling and atmosphere. She demonstrates
a talent for the Cornish accent and gives each character their distinct personality.
I can think of one instance where she could have toned it down slightly, having
attributed a fairly pronounced accent to a character who had been described
as having very little. Nevertheless, she does the book justice, with storyteller
and tale managing to hold the interest.
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Mary Andrea Clarke